Sri Lanka: Ethnic Conflict and Civil War

Sri Lanka is an island nation in South Asia plagued by the vestiges of colonialism, specifically ethnic conflict resulting from "unequal distribution" of wealth and power during colonization. Sri Lanka was colonized by both Portugal and the Netherlands, but Britain gained control in 1815. British colonization of Sri Lanka lasted until 1948. Over 50 years later, ethnic conflict directly related to British colonization has claimed the lives of 64,000 in civil war and displaced one million (Marker and BBC News).

Under colonial rule, Tamils were given priority access to higher education because they spoke and wrote English more proficiently than the Sinhalese ethnic group. Because the Tamils had better access to education, they held more government positions and jobs than the Sinhalese. After Sri Lanka gained independence, the minority Tamils could no longer maintain their power without the British policies that had previously enabled it. The Sinhalese rebelled against over a hundred years of inequality by reversing the discrimination and changing the nation’s university admission policy, which gave them priviliged access. “Today, as the admission policy to higher education is more equitable than in the past, the animosity created by first, colonial, and then post-colonial policies that promoted unequal access to education and thus, jobs, continues to breed distrust and conflict in the region” (Marker). The Tamils and the government of Sri Lanka are engaged in an ongoing civil war.

According to the World Bank, Sri Lanka is “one of the world’s most politically unstable countries.” A BBC news article updated on March 6, 2008 reports that the Human Rights Watch calls Sri Lanka’s government, “one of the world’s worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances.” Aside from resulting in death, homelessness, and other abuses, the ethnic conflict also effects foreign aid from other countries. According to BBC News, "The conflict has also had a disastrous impact on reconstruction efforts after the December 2004 Asian tsunami with the distribution of international aid hampered by the fighting."

Sri Lanka's slow economic growth and humanitarian crisis are direct vestiges of British colonialism.

Sources: Marker, Sandra. "Effects of Colonization" 2003. http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/post-colonial/?nid=1046

"Sri Lanka Rapped Over Disappeared" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7280050.stm

"Quick Guide: Sri Lanka" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6065646.stm

"Unstable Politics Hurt Sri Lanka Investment-Lenders"
http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPROGRAMS/EXTTRADERESEARCH/0,,contentMDK:20560525~menuPK:215762~pagePK:210083~piPK:152538~theSitePK:544849,00.html